The Newtown Quaker Meeting children and teenagers hosted a Simple Supper to raise funds for their selected charity this year, asking for donations in lieu of ticket sales, and raised $1,760.07!

The children’s focus for this year’s supper was the plight of Syrian refugees. The proceeds will go to support Shelterbox (http://www.shelterboxusa.org/) which provides emergency shelter and vital supplies such as family tents, thermal blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, and mosquito nets to refugees in Syria and in camps in the neighboring countries of Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece.

Last year, the Quaker Kids’ Simple Supper raised funds for the Valley Youth House’s Synergy Project which provides immediate support of food, clothing and shelter to homeless, runaway, nomadic and street youth in Bucks County and Allentown.

Lisa Li of West Windsor, NJ, head of the children’s Simple Supper Committee, said, “The children and teens of our meeting worked together beautifully, once again serving 17 different kinds of soups and a myriad of delicious desserts to over 140 guests. It takes at least 25-30 kids/teens working together to make the Simple Supper fund raisers successful for the charities they chose to support. They take on the multitude of tasks required to run the dinner with such positive attitudes and willingness to chip in with whatever needs doing. This year the children and teens felt led to support Shelterbox’s efforts in providing immediate shelter and live saving supplies to Syrian refugees fleeing the violence in their county.”

Previous recipients of funds raised at charitable events by the Newtown Quaker young people have been: Valley Youth House’s Synergy Project for homeless youth in Bucks County and Allentown,; Haiti Relief; The School for Leadership, Afghanistan (SOLA), the first boarding school for girls in Afghanistan; Greater Philadelphia Diaper Bank; Mercer Street Friends Center in Trenton; Penndel Food Pantry; Save Darfur; and Heifer International.

Over the past ten years, the young people of Newtown Quaker Meeting have raised and distributed to charities of their choice over $26,000.

Newtown Friends Meeting, co-founded by the Quaker artist and minister, Edward Hicks, in 1815, holds services every First Day (Sunday). During the school year, First Day classes for children and adults are at 9:45 a.m. and Meeting for Worship at 11:00 a.m. Professional childcare is provided. All meetings are open to the public and visitors are warmly welcomed.